User Reviews

Color is pitch black, tan head that disappears pretty quickly. Smell is all bourbon, don't get much else from the nose, but figured I was in for a treat. Taste was just OK, really boozy to me, but that's what you expect from a 12%'er. The bourbon is very prominent, but not much heat from it. I didn't catch any notes of anything else. Good taste, just wish there was a bit more substance to it. Mouth feel was moderate thickness.

Serving type: small cork and cage bottle into a snifter glass. 2014 vintage.

Pours a deep mahogany brown, though it is essentially black. Smell is of intense chocolate, vanilla, and oak. Not as prevalent bourbon and sweetness intermingle throughout the aroma. Taste reflects the smell. Initial vanilla and roast flavors lead into oak and bourbon characteristics that lead into a pleasant dark chocolate and roast the lingers for a while. Superb. The feel is thick and viscous (lives up to the Viscosity in the name). Some lively carbonation is present to not make this beer flat. Overall, this is an excellent beer with great barrel aged characteristics all around. Definitely worth the price and seek it out.

I had never heard of this one or seen it prior to purchasing a bottle off a clearance rack of craft beers . The label sounded great and the alcohol content secured the purchase :)
Well this brew was so amazingly tasty and right up my alley that I ran back the next day and purchased the rest of the bottles which remained .

This Imperial Stout has it all going for it in so many ways . The look, smell, taste and feel just made me smile .
I'm trying very hard to cellar two bottles for down the road, but it's going to be tough . lol

I highly recommend this one to any stout or porter drinker if you can find it available.

A: Poured into a snifter to a deep and viscous black topped by a finger of dense dark tan head that fades slowly to a small collar around the edge of the glass
S: Smells of roasted malts, chocolate, coffee and bourbon barrel influence with some caramel and vanilla
T: Taste is caramel and vanilla with some roasted malts, coffee and chocolate as well as a little oak and charred wood. Swallow is more caramel and vanilla barrel influence with some more roasted malt and coffee.
M: This is a big beer with a full mouthfeel and soft carbonation. The beer has a dry finish from the ABV.
O: This beer is top notch. It has great flavors and complexity and drinks pretty well for the ABV. It isn't the greatest BA stout but it's up there. Definitely one to try if you like BA stouts.

Pitch black pour, not a hint of a highlight on this opaque sucker. A finger of tan head on top, with a touch of lacing. Nice looking brew. Nose is bourbon (stronger as it warms), roastiness, chocolate, a touch of dried fruit. Flavor is a monster. Huge bourbon, roasted malt, a touch of chocolate, mild prunes. Alcohol heat and spiciness at the back of the mouth, as with the aroma, comes on stronger as the beer warms up. Might want to see how this one is aged - let the alcohol mellow somewhat. Body is fairly thick, somewhat creamy. Probably would have expected something somewhat thicker for an imperial stout. Overall a very nice beer - alcohol is a bit strong, but overall nice, unique, full flavors and aromas.

Purchased a 375ml bottle from the brewery last summer for about $15. Just now drinking it after about a year in the bottle. Pours jet black as advertise with little carbonation.
Smell is slightly sweet and chocolatey with alcohol prevalent. Taste is very malty with some coffee and chocolate. Goes down fairly easy for such high ABV but aftertaste has a bit of a burn. Not as heavy or full flavoured as I thought it would be. More of a roasted malt bomb of stout. Not syrupy like some BB stouts with decent feel and body. Overall a huge disappointment for such a rare, expensive beer.

Black body, light brown head and forms a veneer. Cork & caged mini-bottle is sexy. A few dots of sediment on the bottom of my glass. The nose and taste are a miasma of licorice, whiskey spice, oak, dark chocolate, and molasses. The alcohol makes its presence known on the tongue with a taste of ethanol and a warm finish, but it doesn't get wasted and cause as scene at this party. Great balance between all the big, dark flavors and smells here. Feel is thick, heavy, oily, and creamy, but, especially for the name, it needs to be thicker.
Great double stout, it had body, flavor, and "the look". Perhaps a bit heavy on the alcohol notes. Just need more body!

4-13-16 - Whoa. Sit down. 2014 Taster at the brewery in San Marcos. Dark dark brown with mocha colored head. Chalk board for the current version says "black as night & sludgy, like used motor oil". First time for me, but I'm guessing that this one has aged very well. Great! Get it whenever available.
Updates:
4-17-16 - Picked up a bottle last week in San Marcos. Enjoying it righ now on the way into Coachella day 3. 2015 vintage bottle. Nice and smooth, just not as boozy as last week's '14. Definitely a sipping beer. Super way to start the afternoon.

The appearance is a tough one to grade here. On tap, it comes close to a perfect 5. Out of the bottle, it can be as low as a 2 because of the lack of carbonation. But it also can be decent and pour something slightly resembling a thin head.

Either way, its always jet black and thick. The aroma has a less than average bourbon barrel quotient, which also brings the vanilla and char in a lighter way. Good amount of dark fruit and chocolate malt feels. Good at absorbing large amounts of alcohol, earthiness.

The smell is of oak, bourbon, and bit of bakers chocolate. The taste is bakers chocolate and bourbon mellowed out with some mild sweetness. The mouthfeel starts off thick and quickly turns to a coca cola type of feel. Not a pleasant finish. Overall a solid beer that did not stand out as anything special.

2011 vintage (what the hell was this doing in my basement this whole time?)

L - Dark as night with no head at all. Good alcohol legs. Looks like flat coke sitting in the glass.

S - After almost five years, the bourbon is still insanely huge. Following after is lots of oak, black licorice, tobacco, dark chocolate, and some coffee grounds. Really damn nice.

T - Everything from the aroma is here, but subdued - almost as if it is on Quaaludes. Bitter dark chocolate and sticky bourbon up front with trace amounts of the coffee and oak had very little presence. Again, it's all here, just dialed down a few notches.

F - Actually a little thin for a massive 12% BA stout. Some moments of alcohol warmth, but no real sting. A sipper for sure.

O - A great BA stout. Maybe a fresher vintage will yield more pop on the taste, so I may have to re-visit in the future.

12.7oz corked and caged bottle given to me three or four weeks ago as a gift by Anthony, an outstanding bartender at Jones Radiator, a wise beer man and all around great guy. I’ve had the “standard” Old Viscosity, but it was some time ago.

Poured into an Iron Goat snifter, this was the color of Donald Trump’s heart, and about as sludgy as the substance implied by the name of this beer. Big, mocha colored head initially, and while it retreated in relatively short order, a nice foamy collar hung around for a while.

Big, bourbony and woodsy aroma to this. There are also aromas of chocolate and cocoa. The chocolaty aromas managed to impersonate rich dark chocolate and milk chocolate, but it’s not a cloying sweetness.

Wow. The taste is both redolent with bourbon flavor and yet surprisingly free of boozy heat. Initially, it drinks surprisingly easy for something that’s 12% alcohol. Such qualities creep up as it warms, yet it never seems alcoholically “hot.” The sweet-bitter combination coming from the bourbon barrel aging leads the charge, with the chocolaty sweetness implied in the aroma pushed more to the background. Interestingly, I also get the tannins of a robust red wine, kicking in around the midway point. It doesn’t seem to end on as sharp a hoppy note as some beers of the style, but that may simply be because this beer has so many other qualities that grab that palate’s attention.

Full bodied, with a luscious mouthfeel. This beer could teach a clinic on mouthfeel for the style.

I can’t imagine having more than one of these in a session, but it’s a fantastic beer to consume after dinner. I just hope I’m able to pack up for going out of town tomorrow with this in my system. I may just stretch out on the coach and doze off before the basketball game I was going to watch even starts.

T: Bourbon flavor comes out big time, but the heat of it is very restrained. Lots of corny and sweet bourbon. Very woody. Vanillins bring a marshmallowy taste. Chewy caramel and nougat. Char. Roasty malt flavors lie under all of this. Roasty, chocolate cake, dark chocolate. Alcohols are very apparent but somehow not hot at all. Plum and black currant. Fading chocolatey finish.

O: This liquid spent a good while in a bourbon barrel, and it sure does show. It's actually quite imbalanced, as the barrel tramples all over everything, even despite the size of the beer. It so happens I don't mind that, but you will REALLY need to like bourbon to appreciate this. What I will say is that for how bourbon-forward it is, it has surprisingly little bite or heat coming from the alcohol.

Poured from a 375ml bottle into a glass from my cupboard.
Pours black, opaque, not looking very viscous, but over-carbonation results in long-lasting bubbly head.
Aromas of booze, dark malts, slightly metallic.
Taste is a bit harsh, sharp alcohol burn, bit of roast and spiciness. Not sure of the bottle date but tastes like it needs some more time in the bottle. A bit over-carbed for the style, which increases the harshness.
For a beer titled as such, it's not very thick.
Overall, a boozy, burning whiskey bomb of the beer, neither complex nor rich enough for my taste, and not worth nearly the $16 they charge for it. Would take many $5 alternatives before ever trying this one again. I don't understand the high ratings.

Pours an almost black color, with a slight tan head. Smells like roasty malts, and a slight whiskey nose to it. The taste has nice barrel character to it, some hints of chocolate, malty. Not much carbonation to this beer,and you do feel the alcohol on this one. Overall, a great beer. Might be nice to try one that has been in the bottle longer. 2015 bottle. $15.99

I consumed this following a bottle of Avery Tweak so my palate may be a bit off but this stout is much different. The head was decent after a fairly aggressive pour but quickly dissipated. I'm not sure why it is corked. It has an extremely bubbly carbonation so much so that it almost tastes like rochefort 8 or St. Bernardus Abt 12 or even Ayinger Celebrator. Definitely not what I expected. Still good though

Poured into a snifter.
L: No head. Thick, dark, and black as promised!
S: Nutmeg, chocolate, vanilla, and definitely bourbon.
T: Lots of bourbon, roasted chocolate, vanilla, and some spice. There is some good sweetness there as well.
F: Full body, thick, not much carbonation in the bottle I had
O: One of the few beers that definitely lives up to the hype!

Feel: thinner than expected, without being too thin. Good (low) carbonation level, a bit dry on the tongue but finishes fairly juicy.

Overall: I first had this several years ago before I was really a beer drinker, and thought it tasted absolutely vile, to the point it went down the drain. This time, I liked it quite a bit. Not something I'd drink often, but the fruity characteristics are interesting and enjoyable. Didn't have a chance to try it fresh, but based on the heat level and overall blend of flavors, I'd guess the time helped this.

A: Three full fingers of light cocoa brown head. Black in the glass. Very dark brown in the dimple, with a slight dark reddish-golden brown edge. Decent sheeting; holds for quite a while. Nice cascade, but most of the lacing doesn't hold.

T/MF: Taste is much darker than the aroma, and more in line with what I remember from the original Old Viscosity. Lots of char up front, but transitions into a sweet, very rich bittersweet chocolate towards the tip of the tongue. Finish is all char, and long, yet more subdued. Perhaps a touch more carbonated then I would prefer. This would have gone great with those ribs I had earlier... Or a nice vanilla bean ice cream, perhaps.

L: Look is inky black with a light lace. Little head retention
S: Dominated by bourbon smell. It is faint but not overwhelming. While the bourbon dominates there is a faint sweetness in the background. with a light malt
T: Very nicely blended with the betterness matching the sweetness. The carbonation seems a bit much for the style. The carbonation makes the body lighter than expected for what was anticipated to be a very dense style. Bourbon and sweetness vie for attention up front and there is a stronger bitterness in the after. A function of the barrel?
F: Lighter than expected with the carbonation balancing
O: Very different from old viscosity which is one of my favorites. A well balanced and complex beer -- it should be good for $20 a bottle. It is. Get one and hold it for a special occasion.